KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Maybe it was wishful thinking anyway.
The dream scenario for the Royals where starter Jason Hammel could potentially resurrect his season _ and do so just in time to become a trade asset for a talent-needy club _ could have been imagined six weeks ago.
It seems much less likely after his dud outing Friday.
Hammel was blasted for eight earned runs in just two innings, posting the shortest start of his Royals career in a 10-5 home loss to the Boston Red Sox. Kansas City has now lost seven in a row and 25 of its last 29.
There seemed to be hope for Hammel in late May; he allowed no earned runs in consecutive starts against St. Louis and Texas, striking out 16 in those 12 1/3 innings. Just a few weeks later, the site MLB Trade Rumors listed him in the "Others considered" category when it put out a top 50 trade candidates on June 9.
It wasn't a glowing endorsement, but it was something. And for a Royals season that was circling the drain already, perhaps squeezing some value out of Hammel had the potential to turn into a minor victory in a forgotten season.
That no longer seems a probable outcome following Hammel's third consecutive blowup.
First, it was nine runs allowed (seven earned) in four innings at Houston. Then, it was six earned (and 13 hits) surrendered in six innings on the road against Seattle.
Friday's effort started poorly and didn't improve much from there. Mookie Betts launched the third pitch of the game 410 feet to left for a leadoff shot, the first of three homers Hammel allowed before leaving after the second.
The damage: more runs allowed for Hammel (eight) than outs recorded (six), with the Red Sox blasting eight 100 mile-per-hour-or-better exit velocities in that short time. With that, Hammel's season ERA ballooned to 6.16.
Perhaps nothing illustrated Hammel's struggles more than a single pitch to Xander Bogaerts in the second. After getting ahead 0-2, Hammel went to his best offering _ a slider _ only to watch as Bogaerts uncoiled for a 413-foot home run into the Red Sox bullpen in left.
There was at least one positive following Hammel's rough stint: Reliever Burch Smith might have turned himself into a rotation candidate, shutting out the Red Sox for the next four innings with three strikeouts and no walks.
By then, though, the game had been decided. Boston starter Chris Sale sailed through six innings while striking out 12, and the Red Sox completed a win that seemed likely from the start.
Before first pitch, Vegas sports books had the Red Sox as one of the heaviest MLB favorites of the year. In order to win $100, someone wagering on the Red Sox to win on Friday would have had to put down $380.
That would have paid off, though. Hammel was ineffective. Sale was his dominant self. KC fell to 25-62.
And the hope _ dream? _ that the Royals might re-establish trade value for Hammel appeared to float even further from reality.
